Friday, June 5, 2009

As we continue our series about “bird” and “animal” group names and people in rock and roll history, let’s explore some of the newer bands that have made a name for themselves.

Before Chicago native, singer/songwriter Andrew Bird made a splash in the pop music arena with his 2007 release “Armchair Apocrypha” and more recently 2009’s Noble Beast,” he honed his musical skills in a dizzying array of musical endeavors.

Birds’ musical talents include competency in violin, whistling, guitar, mandolin and glockenspiel. Classically trained, he graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor’s Degree in violin performance in 1996. He cut his first solo effort that same year with the cut “Music Of Hair,” which showcases his immense talent and violin skills as well as his fascination with both American and European folk traditions.

Bird has also played with the big band-influenced Squirrel Nut Zippers, appearing on three of their albums (“Hot” “Sold Out” “Perennial Favorites) between 1996-1998. Assuming the role as a band leader, Bird formed Andrew Bird’s Bowl Of Fire, a group that relied heavily on traditional folk, pre-war jazz and swing and released the albums “Thrills On Rykodisc” (1997) and “Oh! The Grandeur” (1998). In 2001, the group’s third LP, “The Swimming Hour” changed gears and saw the band lean more towards more of a rock and roll approach and although the album received critical acclaim, the band failed to attain commercial success. The band ultimately broke up in 2003 and Bird reinvented himself as a solo artist, progressing to a more eclectic indie/folk sound. Early 2003 brought the release of the LP, “Weather Systems,” and Bird debuted on Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe imprint in 2005 with “Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs.”

Bird continues to impress his fans and critics alike with his ever-changing improvisational skills during live performances and is adapting well to his new found fame.

A group gaining considerable amounts of attention is the indie rock band, the Brooklyn-based group called Grizzly Bear. They have captured the ears of music lovers with an eclectic mix of acoustics and superbly blended harmonies.

The group initially began as a home recording project of Edward Droste and the music took on a new life with the help of multi-instrumentalist Christopher Bear (a Chicago native), whose diverse talents added substance to the homemade recording; resulting in the debut release for the band with 2004’s “Horn Of Plenty.”

Originally released with little fanfare, the album quickly gained attention in New York’s underground music scene by word of mouth and by the band’s relentless touring.

Soon, Chris Taylor joined the band (reeds and electronics) and Daniel Rossen provided expert guitar and vocals to the mix. In 2006, the indie quartet released their first album “Yellow House” (named for Droste’s mother’s house where it was recorded) and the LP was named one of the top albums of the year by the New York Times and Pitchfork Media. The band has also released “Friend,” an EP that features outtakes, alternative versions of songs. Their newest release Veckatimest (May 2009) is receiving rave reviews and expect to hear more from this up and coming indie band in the future.

Deerhunter is an American band from Atlanta, Georgia and are now comprised of members Bradford Cox, Moses Archuleta, Josh Fauver and Lockett Pundt (the group’s first bass player, Justin Bosworth died from head injuries in a skateboarding accident). They describe their music as “ambient punk” but incorporate a wide variety of musical genres into the mix including noise rock, art rock and post-punk.

Their first LP, “Turn It Up Faggot” was influenced by the death of their friend and bandmate Bosworth (the liner notes dedicate the album to him) and was very difficult to make for all the band members. Cox soon enlisted his high school friend Lockett Pundt to join the group.

Deerhunter recorded their second album “Cryptograms” in November of 2005 which was released in January of 2007. It was more of a subdued effort than the debut. In May of the same year, the band released an EP called “Fluorescent Grey,” which had been recorded in July of 2006) and in the same month released a 7” single called “Whirlyball,” which was available only at Criminal Records and the single also doubled as a ticket to one of their shows.

The band lost guitarist Colin Mee in August of 2007 because of conflicting scheduling problems, but he rejoined for their autumn tour.

The group’s third album “Microcastle” was released in October of 2008 and was co-released with “Weird Era Cont;” a bonus album. Colin Mee left the band again and was replaced by Whitney Petty (who consequently left in February 2009).

The band, whose influences include David Bowie, Brian Eno and Echo and the Bunnymen (among others) are well-known for their fiercely provocative live shows (Cox has worn sundresses and has performed with fake blood smeared over his face and hands) and they have toured with Nine Inch Nails, TV on the Radio, Liars and the Smashing Pumpkins, among others. Look for great things from the band, their music and spirit have just begun to capture listener’s ears.

Andrew Bird Tidbits:

Andrew Bird was born in Chicago on July 11, 1973. Growing up, Bird was surrounded by classical music and as a child; he was interested in Irish tunes and bluegrass. Bird has stated that, at 22, he found a lot of indie rock and pop music repetitive and boring, but now understands it better. He currently splits his time between Chicago and a farm near the town of Elizabeth in northwest Illinois.

Andrew Bird is famous for improvising and reworking his songs during live performance, as can be seen in his series of self-released live compilations entitled Fingerlings, Fingerlings 2, and Fingerlings 3, the first of which was released in 2002.

Five of his songs — "Banking on a Myth" from The Mysterious Production of Eggs, a medley of "I" from Weather Systems and "Imitosis" from Armchair Apocrypha, and "Skin" and "Weather Systems" from Weather Systems — have all been licensed for use by Marriott Residence Inn.

In summer 2008, Grizzly Bear opened for Radiohead on the second leg of their US tour. In Toronto, on their last date of the tour together, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood spoke of his love for Grizzly Bear, on stage, calling them his favorite band.

An album of Droste's early demo recordings, Sorry for the Delay, was released in 2006 as the band finished up recording Yellow House

On March 1, 2008, Grizzly Bear performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra

Also in 2007, the band released Friend, an EP which features outtakes, alternate versions of songs, and covers of Grizzly Bear material done by Cansei de Ser Sexy (CSS), Band of Horses, and Atlas Sound.

As with their first album, “Cryptograms” also had a dedication inside the album's liner notes, this time to a friend of Cox's, Bradley Ira Harris, a heroin addict who died in 2005.

While touring the Microcastle album in the UK, Cox booked an evening in a studio and recorded what would become the On Platts Eyott cassette. This was released in two batches of 100 copies each; an edition of pink cassettes was given out to competition winners by his record label and orange cassettes were sold at a special Halloween concert in Atlanta on the 31st of October 2008.

On Friday, April 17 2009, popular indie music website Pitchfork Media announced that Deerhunter would be releasing a new EP, entitled Rainwater Cassette Exchange, due out on May 18th, 2009 digitally and June 8th, 2009 on CD.

Released in 2000, Capitol/EMI’s Classic Sinatra has sold over two million copies in the U.S. alone and has been certified double platinum by the RIAA.

To mark this achievement, on June 2, Capitol/EMI, in conjunction with Frank Sinatra Enterprises (FSE), will release a brand-new companion collection, Classic Sinatra II.

Featuring 21 additional signature tracks, including 15 from the legendary concept albums Sinatra recorded for Capitol between 1954 and 1961, various singles, and a previously unreleased recording, Classic Sinatra II will be available on CD, at all major digital service providers, and www.sinatra.com.

Classic Sinatra II showcases a selection of Ol’ Blue Eyes’ most loved recordings from his Capitol concept albums, including “Moonlight In Vermont,” “Pennies From Heaven,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” and “All Of Me.” In addition, the set features four 1950s singles: “Love And Marriage,” “(Love Is) The Tender Trap,” “Learnin’ The Blues,” and “High Hopes.” Plus a 1956 recording of “Memories Of You” and a previously unreleased recording, “This Can’t Be Love.”

During his lifetime, Sinatra won 10 Grammy Awards. When awarded the Grammy Legend Award in 1994, he was introduced by U2 singer Bono, who said, "His songs are his home and he lets you in, but you know that to sing like that you've got to have lost a couple of fights. To know tenderness and romance you've got to have had your heart broken."

Sinatra appeared in 58 films and won three Academy Awards, including an honorary Oscar for The House I Live In. He performed thousands of tour dates around the world, starred in his own television show and numerous specials, earning Emmys and a Peabody Award. Sinatra was saluted by The Kennedy Center Honors (1983) as a cultural icon, and was awarded the Presidential Medal Of Honor (1985) and the Congressional Gold Medal (1995), Congress’ highest civilian award.

Born Francis Albert Sinatra on December 12, 1915, Frank Sinatra was a titan of 20th Century entertainment, with record-breaking successes in both music and film. With a legendary career spanning more than six decades, Sinatra was truly “The Entertainer of the 20th Century.” Also known as “Ol’ Blue Eyes,” “The Chairman of the Board” and “The Voice,” Sinatra has sold more than more than 150 million albums around the world, and racked up 31 gold and nine platinum albums (including three that went multi-platinum), one gold single, and two gold and platinum videos in the United States alone. He is the only artist to chart in Billboard’s Top Ten for seven consecutive decades.

Frank Sinatra: Classic Sinatra II 1. Something's Gotta Give2. Too Marvelous For Words3. Love And Marriage4. From This Moment On5. (Love Is) The Tender Trap6. I Get Along Without You Very Well7. All Of Me8. I Thought About You9. Moonlight In Vermont10. High Hopes11. Learnin' The Blues12. Here's That Rainy Day13. Pennies From Heaven14. I've Got A Crush On You15. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry16. Memories Of You17. Love Is Here To Stay18. When The World Was Young19. Just One Of Those Things20. Angel Eyes

I am very proud to continue our new feature (look for this every Friday), music reviews that are written by the senior contributing editor of Stereophile magazine- Michael Fremer. It has been a pleasure to speak with Michael and learn more about audio sound and equipment. In fact, his new DVD, "It's A Vinyl World, After All" has hit the shelves and is selling out very quickly. This is a must have for anybody who loves vinyl, it is a true masterpiece.

Additionally, make sure to stop by his site, www.musicangle.com and bookmark it for further exploration. I certainly want to thank Michael for the exclusive rights to reprint his fantastic material.

Only in retrospect does the “high concept” of Marshall Crenshaw’s remarkable 1982 debut assert itself: marry infectious ‘50s and ‘60’s-like rock’n’roll tunes with the then modern chorus guitar effects popularized by The Police’s Andy Summers. Maybe that wasn’t the plan, but that’s sure what it sounds like! That, or what a vintage Seeburg or Wurlitzer juke box would sound like heard from outside of the malt shop teen hang out.

Back then, in the wake of the sensitive ‘70s and in the midst of a post-punk, new-wave musical malaise, Crenshaw’s unerring tunefulness and clean-cut boy-girl lyrics provided a refreshing blast of what made rock attractive in the first place. Crenshaw managed to pay homage to Buddy Holly, rock-a-billy and various other rock conventions of a bygone era and make them sound fresh and vital.

For older fans it was reaffirmation while younger ones exulted in the conservative Reagan-ness of it. Even the post-hippies dug it. Crenshaw captures them all and the rock critics too. An amazing move for a guy whose previous achievement was playing John Lennon in Beatlemania.

The colorized cover art, showing an impossibly clean-cut college-y Crenshaw seated at a ‘50s formica kitchen table struck all the right retro-notes too, while being ultra-hip at the same time. Even the dark John Lennon-ish glasses hit the right note. Over a button down shirt, Crenshaw wore what looked like an impossibly wide-lapelled Zoot suit!

But forget the image, as Berry Gordy famously said “It’s what’s in the grooves that counts,” and there’s not a bad tune among the twelve short, hook-filled ones that make up Marshall Crenshawalmost all of which were Crenshaw penned.

From the wistful, haunting opener “There She Goes Again,” to the e qually wistful haunting “Someday, Some Way,” to the optimistic “Rockin’ Around in N.Y.C.” to the sunny rock-a-billy closer “The Usual Thing,” side one moves along at a crisp clip, melding new wave with old school, Crenshaw on guitars and vocals, his brother Robert on appropriately basic drums and vocals and Chris Donato on bass and back up vocals. If you don’t end up refreshed and buoyed when the stylus hits the lead out grooves, you probably need Abilify.

Side two is equally tuneful and crisply rendered, especially the jingle-jangled “Cynical Girl,” though the early Beatle-esque/Shirelles inflected “Soldier of Love” (once covered by The Beatles and later by Pearl Jam) is equally impressive. Even when Crenshaw’s quoting and being derivative he pulls it off. In retrospect, what makes this record succeed is the sprinkle of sunset sadness and regret Crenshaw adds to the mix. It’s a nostalgic cover for an album that could be accused of trading in nostalgia but doesn’t. Marshall Crenshaw is as tuneful and pleasing today as it was when first released.

As for the sound, well that’s a bit more complicated. This is a purposeful production, helmed by Richard Gottehrer who wrote some of the most enduring ‘60s classics like “My Boyfriend’s Back” and “I Want Candy.” He knew what he was doing on this Record Plant production and what he was doing was producing a record that sounds as if you’re hearing it in your mind from a past memory.

Therefore, it’s bathed in echo, is bass-shy and nothing from the instruments to the vocals asserts itself too prominently or clearly. That was the game plan, so don’t complain to Mobile Fidelity if it doesn’t sound sufficiently “audiophile” for you. That said, while the original mastering by Greg Calbi was very good, this reissue brings you much closer to what’s on the tape, without destroying the desired effect.

The re-issue keeps its distance while greatly improving overall transparency and transient clarity. The bottom end remains intentionally weak but somewhat better defined. In other words, you’ll still think you’re hearing this from outside the malt shop or inside your mind from a previous listen in another place and time and that’s as it should be.

This is everything a great reissue should be: it clarifies the original without trying to re-invent it.

Born today in 1941, Floyd Butler, vocalist with The Friends Of Distinction. Died of a heart attack on April 29, 1990.

Tom Evans of Badfinger was born in 1947. Evans committed suicide November 23, 1983.

Animals’ keyboardist Dave Rowberry died in London in 2003 (age 62). Rowberry joined The Animals after the group had a falling out with founder/leader Alan Price.

In 1999, Jazz singer and songwriter Mel Torme died at the age of 73. His Christmas song' “Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire” has been recorded more than 1,700 times.

Ronnie Lane (Faces) died in 1997 (age 51) after a 20-year battle with multiple sclerosis.

Country singer Conway Twitty died from an abdominal aortic aneurysm in 1993. Until 2000, he held the record for the most #1 singles of any country act, with 45 #1's.

Dee Dee Ramone died of an apparent overdose in 2002.

History:

In 1971, Grand Funk Railroad smashed the record held by The Beatles when they sold out New York's Shea Stadium in 72 hours.

The classic cut "Susie Q" was released by Dale Hawkins in 1957.

Roy Orbison went to #1 in 1961 with “Running Scared” (#9 in the UK).

James Taylor's epic song "You've Got A Friend" was released in 1971.

In 2007, Lucy O’Donnell, a former schoolmate of John Lennon’s son Julian, claimed that she was the subject of a painting by Julian that inspired The Beatles song "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds." Oh, and I am the walrus.

In 1975, former Pink Floyd singer Syd Barrett turned up in the studio and was present while the band mixed “Wish You Were Here,” the majority of whose tracks referred to Barrett's increasing dementia.

In 1956, Elvis Presley appeared on ABC-TV's “Milton Berle Show,” and while singing “Hound Dog” performed the suggestive 'gyrating' movements.

In 1977, Alice Cooper's boa constrictor, a co-star of his live act, suffered a fatal bite from a rat it was being fed for breakfast. Cooper held auditions for a replacement and a snake named “Angel” got the gig. No word on what happened to the rat.

In 1979, "Love You Inside Out" became the Bee Gees' ninth #1 single, sixth consecutive #1 single (tying the Beatles), and fifth to sell over two million copies. It is also, to date, their last #1 single.

Sir Paul McCartney released his 21st solo album, “Memory Almost Full” in 2007 on the new Hear Music Starbucks label.

In reaction to the slaying of Presidential candidate Senator Robert Kennedy in LA in 1968, David Crosby composed “Long Time Gone.”

The Rolling Stones begin recording "Sympathy For The Devil" at London's Olympic Sound Studios in 1968. Also responding to Senator Kennedy's assassination, Mick Jagger added the line "who killed the Kennedys?" The Stones finished the track in less than a week.

In 1971, a memorable two-night stand by the Mothers, featuring Frank Zappa, results in the popular live album “Fillmore East, June 1971.”

New York Dolls released their eponymous first album in 1973 (it peaked at #116). It was produced by Todd Rundgren.

Gene Vincent released the smoldering rocker “Be-Bop-A-Lula” in 1956. It sells over a million copies.

During a 48-date North American tour in 1983, U2 played at Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver. The show was recorded and released as “U2 Live At Red Rocks: Under A Blood Red Sky.”

Experts predict that just as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones are the Holy Grail for collectors now, Oasis, Blur and The Stone Roses will be in the future.

By Emma Wall

"The Sixties was the start of a cultural revolution. It's where it all started, when the most iconic bands existed. Every generation is interested- from the ones who were young in the sixties and watched these bands, who aspire to recreate their youth and everyone since that date has been influenced by The Beatles, The Stones, by Elvis."

That's the view of Neil Roberts, head of the department for Popular Culture for auction house Christie's and it's why sixties pop memorabilia hasn't felt the effects of the recession. He expects just as many bidders as ever at the house's Rock and Pop sale on July 1 and puts this down to the unique nature of music culture collectables.

While the art world in general may have suffered losses, with reserve prices not being met and dwindled sales, this area of alternative investment continues to grow. This is because, although pop culture collectables may offer a healthy return on sale, profit is not the driving force behind the investment.

The Sixties is the most popular and prevalent decade for music memorabilia. Within this sub sector, The Beatles are the most popular group. There are thousands of Beatles fan-sites on the internet, and hundreds are devoted to the buying, selling and trading of the so-called fab four's memorabilia.

Pop and rock memorabilia became sought after as collectables in the Eighties and the value of items have generally increased dramatically over this time. The most expensive and probably well-known sale in this sector was John Lennon's piano on which he composed 'Imagine'. It was bought in October 2000 by the singer George Michael for a hammer price of £1.45m, with an extra 15pc commission bringing the total sale price to £1.67m.

Though this sector generates some high end items, music memorabilia is a good starting sector for the budding collector or investor.

Mr Roberts points out tickets and flyers as an undervalued area- one that he predicts will do well in the future.

He said: "Tickets and flyers for old concerts have almost fallen under the radar. I think they are an interesting area and certainly more accessible. They have the band name, time and date- they represent a time in culture and I think that area will evolve and become more sought after."

These are easier to source for new collectors with the internet opening up a world wide trading forum, though Mr Roberts warns to check for authenticity.

He also recommends going direct to the source for these type of collectables, try to buy off people who collected themselves through experience, scour car boot sales and older family members lofts and garages.

Another area which Mr Roberts thinks is up and coming is original artwork. As CDs and digital downloads have taken over the music industry, LP sleeves and the original artwork on them become rarer and more sought after.

He said: "Album sleeves played such an important role in the past, you went and picked up your vinyl every Saturday and what was on the LP sleeve was important. I think that's an area that's going to be more in demand in the future."

Old LPs can currently be picked up in charity shops and traditional record stores for £5-£20 and with correct storage may be worth considerably more in twenty years time.

As with all art work, correct storage is important to protect against damage. Mr Roberts recommends keeping posters, vinyl and tickets on display so they can be enjoyed but in specially frames out of the dangers of damp and direct sunlight.

Though a bit of damage does not degrade the items' worth too much, as he says, "You expect all records to have a bit of damage just because down the years they do get slight tears or a bit scuffed. The only time it really matters is when there's a tear over the signature or there's a bit missing. Sometimes people like a little bit of damage as it adds to the authentic look."

Photos should be looked after similarly. The Christie's sale includes a 21 print archive of the 1997 photographic exhibition 'Was There Then' featuring the members of Brit-Pop band Oasis.

The lot includes a signed copy of the exhibition book by all four members and carries an estimate of £18,000 to £20,000. Mr Roberts predicts that just as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones are the holy grail for collectors now, Oasis, Blur and The Stone Roses will be in the future.

He said: "Pop memorabilia is and always will be very popular. The only problem being that through time things become more mass produced and the rarity side of it will disappear. But then again maybe it won't as things become more throwaway, you just don't know."

"The good thing about items like these is you can enjoy them while they grow in value, hang them like pictures on the wall. As for instruments, they're meant really for display, but if you had a Jimi Hendrix guitar I'd be tempted to pick it up and give it a quick strum!"

Aerosmith had hinted that they’d play one of their albums live in its entirety during their summer tour with ZZ Top, and now Steven Tyler and Co. report it’s a done deal: Tyler and Joey Kramer told Boston radio station WZLX they’ve chosen 1975’s "Toys in the Attic." Toys, which hit Rolling Stone’s list of the Greatest Albums of All Time, features the hits “Walk This Way” and “Sweet Emotion” as well as the tile track. The album reached number 11 on the Billboard Album chart.

On a side note, I remember seeing the group when they did their tour to support this album, they played with Rush and the J. Geils Band in a small venue in Northern Indiana. What a show.....

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Great Company For Strait

George Strait's album "Troubadour" has been certified Platinum by the RIAA (one million copies sold). That gives him 33 Platinum or multi-Platinum albums in his career, in third place behind Beatles and the Elvis Presley.

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Whitney Houston Releasing First Album in Seven Years

Sony made it official by announcing that Whitney Houston's new album, which is currently untitled, is set for release on September 1. It is her first non-holiday album of new material since 2002's "Just Whitney" and only the seventh of her 24-year career.

Hopes are high at Arista where Houston's track record is hard to beat. Three of her six previous studio albums (Whitney Houston, Whitney and The Bodyguard Soundtrack) went to #1, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" hit #3, "Just Whitney" #9 and only 1998's "My Love is Your Love" failing to crack the top ten (#13 peak). Those albums produced eleven #1 singles and a total of 22 top tens.

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New GRAVEWORM LP

Italian/German gothic black metallers GRAVEWORM will release their seventh album, "Diabolical Figures", on June 16 via Massacre Records. The CD was recorded at Stage One studios in Borgentreich, Germany with producer Andy Classen (DEW-SCENTED, CALLENISH CIRCLE, TANKARD, OCCULT). It contains 10 songs and features a guest appearance by Karsten "Jagger" Jäger from DISBELIEF. The cover artwork (see below) was created by the Italian digital artist Daniel Hofer of Archetype Design.

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HACKNEYED – finish recordings, unveil cover

Germanys death metal lunatics # 1 have finished the recordings for their highly anticipated new album „Burn After Reaping“ due on August 14th via Nuclear Blast!

Commented drummer Tim Cox „After long and hard work, we just finished the studio work for „Burn After Reaping“ and I can assure you, that the songs will kick major ass!! It will be louder and more brutal than anything you’ve heard before! Our producer Corni Bartels pushed us to the limit and made the album what it is right now – a fucking killer! We have done a lot of crazy things and tried a lot to pimp the album. „Burn After Reaping“ will differ from „Death Prevails“ if it comes to songwriting and sound, but of course all known HACKNEYED trademarks have been kept. Björn Goosses of KILLUSTRATIONS (DEW-SCENTED, ABORTED etc…) created the artwork which matches our expectations perfectly. It fits the album like every single song!“

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THREAT SIGNAL – Cover Art

Canadian modern thrash metalheads THREAT SIGNAL have just released more information about their upcoming album Vigilance.

The new Slayer CD will be titled "World Painted Blood" and is tentatively due for release late this summer. Known tracks include the title cut, as well as the single “Psychopathy Red,” which came out as a limited-run 7” vinyl single back in April. The album is produced by Greg Fidelman, who also worked on Metallica’s comeback smash Death Magnetic.

In a May 19th, axe-wielder extraordinaire Kerry King suggested the album would be similar in style to their 1990 album "Seasons in the Abyss" - “because I think Seasons was a little bit of everything, as far as Slayer goes. I think this one has a little bit of everything… So I would imagine people are gonna compare it to that one."

King shared songwriting duties on "World Painted Blood" with fellow guitarist Jeff Hanneman, taking on six songs himself, with Jeff writing seven (including the title cut and “Psychopathy Red”), but according to King, not all of the songs recorded might ultimately make the cut.

"I got out of that mindset that was popular in the '90s when everybody put as much material on CDs as would fit,” he said.

“All my favorite records from when I was growing up had 10 songs tops, and they're all kick-ass, so I just [think back to] how I perceived records as when I was a fan."

The band will also be teaming up with Megadeth – for the first time in 15 years – in a series of four Canadian shows this month, also supported by Machine Head and Suicide Silence. They’ll also be headlining together with Marilyn Manson for the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival beginning next month.

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This Looks Interesting....

Prepare for Chthonic's 'Retribution' This Summer

Taiwan’s extreme-metal superstars Chthonic are putting the final touches on their new album Mirror of Retribution, which is slated for international release this August. Anthrax’s Rob Caggiano took on the role of producer for the 11-track epic, which the band says will explore “both the spirit and mortal worlds,” blending ancient mythological depictions of hell with pages from their country’s turbulent history